Pregnancy & Postpartum Pain
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy in Denver
Pain in pregnancy is common, but you don’t have to grit your teeth until delivery. I find what’s actually driving it, including with real-time ultrasound to see how your core and pelvic floor are moving, and treat that so you can keep working, sleeping and moving.
Pain during pregnancy can look like:
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Pain at the pubic bone or the back of the pelvis
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Pain turning in bed, getting out of the car, on stairs or standing on one leg
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Tailbone pain
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Vulvar or groin pain, heaviness or varicose veins
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Pain with sex
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Pain that’s limiting your work, sleep or exercise
Call your OB or midwife first for bleeding, leaking fluid, regular contractions, fever, sudden severe pain, or swelling in one calf.
Pain After Birth
Pain after birth often gets brushed off as part of recovery. If it’s still there at your 6-week check, or months or years later, it’s worth treating.
Pain after birth can look like:
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Pain with sex after delivery
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Perineal tear or episiotomy pain
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C-section scar pain or pulling
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Tailbone pain
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Pelvic, hip or low back pain that hasn’t settled
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A core that feels disconnected, or ab separation
Why see Dr. Caroline?
Common isn’t the same as normal
45%
of pregnant women have pelvic or back pain
25%
still have it after birth
Pregnancy-related pelvic girdle and/or low back pain. Wu WH, et al. Eur Spine J. 2004;13(7):575–589.
43%
still had painful sex 6 months after birth
Prospective study of 1,244 first-time mothers; nearly 1 in 4 still had pain at 18 months. McDonald EA, et al. BJOG. 2015;122(5):672–679.
What treatment looks like
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See it, don’t guess. Real-time ultrasound shows how your deep abs, pelvic floor and breathing work together: whether you’re bracing, bearing down or not supporting load through your pelvis. I also use it to measure ab separation.
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Find the real driver. Joints, muscles, scar tissue and nerves, including an internal exam when it’s useful and you’re comfortable, during pregnancy too.
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Hands-on care. Manual therapy, dry needling (in pregnancy and postpartum), and scar mobilization once tissue has healed.
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Keep you moving. Sleep positions, ways to move that don’t provoke pain, a support belt when it helps, and exercise that’s modified, not stopped.
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Get back to life after birth. A graded return to sex, exercise and running.
Sessions are one-on-one and long enough to assess everything. If your recovery is going smoothly, an insurance-based clinic may be all you need. If your pain is persistent or hasn’t improved with other care, this is what I specialize in. Start with a free phone consult to see if it’s the right fit.
Additional Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Pregnancy and Postpartum Blog Posts
